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Cameron set to parachute in Tory women

DAVID CAMERON is preparing new measures to parachute women into winnable seats after admitting that Tory stalwarts are thwarting his drive to boost the number of female candidates.

The Conservative party leader will announce a change in selection procedures to ensure that women reach constituency association shortlists.

Although he will stop short of introducing all-women shortlists — used by Labour but fiercely opposed by most Tories — he is expected to say that the targeted local associations must ensure at least one woman reaches the final stages of selection.

He will also encourage parties to adopt more American-style primaries, in which nominations are thrown open to a wider audience than the usual core of activists.

Cameron will outline the moves tomorrow after a review into whether his controversial “A-list” of preferred candidates is working. Half the original list of just over 100 “priority” individuals were women.